IMMIGRATION INFORMATION

Many people are tempted to file their immigration applications themselves. Here are five
good reasons that you should hire a lawyer to assist you.

1. Avoid Mistakes

Many immigration cases are denied because of mistakes made in the initial filing, such as:

the form was not filled out correctly

the right form was not used

no fee or the wrong fee was included

required documents were not attached

Thomas Fulghum is an experienced immigration attorney who will spot
these potential problems and research your case before filing your application. If necessary,
he will include a brief or additional evidence showing why a potential "red flag" for the
immigration officer should not prevent you from receiving benefits.

2. Aggressive Advocacy

The Immigration Service is a vast bureaucracy that deals with millions
of aliens living in and trying to come to the United States. Unfortunately, many cases are
neglected, lost, or wrongfully denied by this huge government machine. Thomas Fulghum will
make sure that your case is not lost in the shuffle. He will tell you when to expect a response,
and if your case has not been approved within the expected time, he will contact the appropriate
office to make sure that your case is dealt with promptly.

3. Spot and avoid problems with your case

When you consult with a lawyer about your immigration case, the lawyer listens to your story
and looks for potential problems that might arise. Some of these problems include:

ineligibility for benefits for various technical issues, e.g. J-visa 2-year home residency requirement

An experienced immigration lawyer will make sure that your application is
filled out completely and correctly, that the right fee is included, and that the correct evidence
is included. Unfortunately, immigration forms are not user-friendly and many times require additional
evidence in order to establish eligibility for a particular benefit. Often a lawyer's advocacy and
reference to the applicable laws can make the difference between denial and approval.

4. Respond to requests from Immigration

One of the most common bases of denial is failure to respond to requests
for additional evidence. If you hire Thomas Fulghum, he will get copies of every letter and request
from Immigration, and he will send you copies of every piece of paper sent to and from Immigration
regarding your case.

5. Lawyers provide solutions

The laws governing immigration are complex, confusing, and sometimes they
just plain don't make any sense. Immigration laws create many walls keeping out immigrants, but there
are also some surprising doors. An immigration lawyer can sort through the confusion of immigration
laws to come up with creative solutions to your immigration problems.